Droits d’auteur et IA : l’Assemblée nationale bloque la loi
The French National Assembly has blocked a proposed law that would have required AI providers to prove they did not use copyrighted cultural content to train their models. The bill, passed by the Senate on April 8, 2026, aimed to shift the burden of proof from rights holders to AI companies, making it easier for authors to demonstrate that their works were used without permission. Despite careful preparation and limited scope, the legislation was not placed on the parliamentary agenda and now appears seriously compromised.
This matters because it represents a major setback for cultural creators seeking to protect their intellectual property in the age of generative AI. The proposed law would have addressed a critical imbalance: currently, authors must prove their works were used to train opaque AI systems, a nearly impossible task. By reversing the burden of proof, the bill aimed to give rights holders a practical tool to enforce copyright. Its failure highlights the powerful lobbying influence of tech companies and leaves French creators without new legal protections, potentially setting a precedent for similar legislative efforts across Europe.